The first sound of a D throw is a solid low G, and the D inside it is only a gracenote. Players who sneak a D in front, or play the written D full size, blur the movement. Three fingers lift together for the gracenote, then one drops for the C — three up, one down.
Short notes and embellishments drift in opposite directions: dots round out, doublings crush. That drift is like gravity — it only goes one way. Practice exaggerating both: cut the note before harder, and hold the middle note of the doubling to keep it open.
Clean-sounding technique can still hide damaging tension, so build relaxation into the reps. My own D throws once sounded perfect while straining my hand. Add a deliberate relax step after every movement, and rehearse everything at three speeds — slow enough to control every finger, then full speed where it just has to go.
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Practice Chanter Session — July 31, 2023
42m · Full class available to Inner Circle members
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